2011 Camp Barnabas and Vacation - SUCCESS!!! - Part 2

After we arrived to the area where the kids were announced to all the volunteers and counselors, the kids were taken to their cabins while Tony and I went to the Well House, their medical center, to drop off their medications.  After that we were taken to their cabins to say goodbye.  We went to Cassidy's cabin first and met her counselor, Karly.  They already had her bags unpacked and her sleeping bag on her bunk.  She was already busy taking pictures!  She was so excited and quickly said goodbye so she could go back to taking more pictures.

Then we headed to Caleb's cabin.  There we met Robbie and noticed his face - he had two bandaids on and a scratch on his nose - all courtesy of Caleb and we hadn't even left the camp!  Robbie was very understanding and said that they were going to have a good week!  Caleb was in the cabin playing basketball with an indoor basketball hoop and nerf ball.  He got upset, but we were able to leave - very worried about how the week was going to go.  Our process guide walked us back to where we parked.  While we were walking she told us not to worry, that the first day is always very difficult and they have a lot of kids that act out.  I asked if we could call and get information and she told us yes, that if we call in the morning they would check with the counselor at lunch and call us back later in the day.

I am very proud to say that we NEVER called to check.  We knew that if things got too difficult that they would call us.  There were times I thought about calling, but I didn't.  I knew they were being taken care of and kept telling myself the old adage of no news is GOOD news!  It was so true!!!!!

After we loaded up, we drove away from Camp Barnabas and headed to Table Rock Landing in Holiday Island, Arkansas.  It took us about an hour to get there through the windy mountain roads.  We got checked in and the van unloaded and headed into Eureka Springs for a quick dinner.  It had been a long day in the car and we were tired and just wanted something quick and ended up at McDonald's.  We then ran to the grocery store to get some food, drinks and milk.

Here are some pictures of the view from our condo:

View from our deck.

Deck View

Deck View

View from Loft Bedroom

Loft View

Sunday we ran to Wal-Mart and had lunch in Berryville, Arkansas and spent the day relaxing at the condo.  We really wanted this vacation to be a time of relaxation, which I can say it totally was.

Steven was extremely fussy during the week and didn't sleep well, even though we tried to keep the changes to his sleep scheduled to a bare minimum, which can be explained by a couple of things.  One, he missed his brother and sister.  Or, two, he doesn't do well with changes to his routine!  I have tried very hard this summer to keep Steven's nap schedule and bedtime schedule pretty much the same, but due to the older kids camp schedules, it wasn't always possible.  I was hoping this week that we'd be able to keep his nap schedule the same, but it didn't work out that way due to Steven himself not wanting to sleep.  He had a hard time sleeping in the crib that was provided by the resort.  Many nights he was still up and refusing to go to sleep at 10 p.m. and he's normally in bed and asleep by 7:30 at home!  Since we were also at a higher elevation, I'm thinking that his ears may have been bothering him, especially since he was very fussy in the car whenever we were driving through the mountains.  Poor little guy!  He's not really been acting sick or even pulling on his ears, but I'll be anxious to see what the doctor says about his ears when we go for his Kan Be Healthy on the 2nd.

Monday we drove to Harrison, Arkansas and met with a dear friend and her husband and son for lunch.  I met Kathy through the online support group that Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation has for families who children have received a bipolar diagnosis.  Because that was Caleb's initial diagnosis, I joined and received so much support, especially from Kathy.  Kathy and I had been communicating through e-mails for a couple of years, so it was very nice to spend some time meeting in person!  I just wish it could have been longer than just lunch.

After we left lunch, we went to Wal-Mart there in Harrison and was able to find a charger for Tony's camera, since we forgot to bring his with us.  I also forgot to buy diapers when we went to the Wal-Mart in Berryville!  I always stress about forgetting things when we go on vacation and Tony always tells me that we're not going to spend a week in Turkey!  For some reason the Wal-Mart in Berryville didn't have the charger, but luckily we were able to find one in Harrison.  During the drive to and from Harrison, I kept thinking that the view reminded me of our numerous drives from Raleigh to Parkersburg, West Virginia when we would go through the Blue Ridge Parkway in Northern North Carolina and through Virginia.  It was so different than flat old Kansas!!!  Tony loved the winding, tree lined roads!



That's it for now.  Stay tuned for more soon ...